New chief appointed to lead Wiltshire Police for next 12 months

Wiltshire Police have appointed a temporary chief constable after their current chief constable Mike Veale announced his decision to move to Cleveland Police.

Assistant Chief Constable Kier Pritchard will step up into the role from Monday 5 March, having served as a police officer in Wiltshire since 1993 and as ACC since 2014.

The experienced officer also graduated from the Strategic Command Course in 2016.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson said, “Mike Veale has been an excellent Chief Constable and has guided Wiltshire Police through immense change to a position where it is amongst the top performing forces in the country.

“I have carefully considered what the next steps are for the future leadership of Wiltshire Police and it is important to ensure consistency and continuity. Therefore, ACC Kier Pritchard will become Temporary Chief Constable for a period of 12 months.

“This appointment is an interim measure and a formal recruitment process will begin later this year.

“Kier is an experienced senior police officer and will provide stability, innovation and build upon excellent foundations. Wiltshire Police is an outstanding force with many strengths and I feel sure that we have the strong leadership in place to continue and maintain our excellent reputation.”

ACC Kier Pritchard added: “I have a huge sense of pride taking over the reigns as Temporary Chief Constable for a Force I have served for more than 20 years.

“Mike has been a fantastic leader and he leaves us in great shape – both in terms of engagement amongst officers and staff and, externally, as evidenced in our strong Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services gradings.

“We are blessed with outstanding officers, staff and volunteers across our organisation who achieve great things every day and who strive to provide an excellent service to all of our communities.

“Now is the time to look forward and to continue, as we’ve always done, with our values and communities at the heart of everything we do.”